The Same, Yet So Different
by ForeverJaganFan
Summary: What if Ash never made it back to his mirror in time? Or maybe he met someone that completely changed his mind. Experience a different take on the Pokemon XY episode Cave Of Mirrors! Begins after the battle with Team Rocket. Pairings: Original!Ash/Crybaby!Ash (hints of one-sided amourshipping)


"The Same, yet So Different"

**AN/DISCLAMER: I do not own any of the characters in this fanfiction. This fanfiction is for reader's entertainment only, and is non-profit. All rights go to Satoshi Tajiri and any other respective owners. (I suck at disclaimers) Episode Tag: Pokemon XY (season 17) episode Cave Of Mirrors**

_So this is a new pairing that i've gotten myself into. It features Original!Ash/Crybaby!Ash (i'm not sure if there's a a pairing name for this) but it just think it's SOOOOO CUTE! If you haven't yet, go watch Pokemon XY episode Cave of Mirrors!_

(_names italics are mirror versions of the originals.) _

xxxx

The group of five trainers raced through the forest, looking every which way as fast as they could looking for the Reflection Cave. With every minute that passed, the sky got darker. 4 of them had only one thing on their minds, and that was to get Ash back home to his friends. His real friends. The ones he knows. However the mirror version of himself had other thoughts. He had grown to like his other half and didn't want him to leave, but of course he didn't want to hold him back or prevent him from reaching his dreams. So he said nothing about the plans to get Ash home.

"Come on, guys! The sun is setting, We have to get there, NOW!" Ash yelled behind himself, though he wasn't sure if he was going the right direction. _Clemont_ would've said something if they weren't...right? _Clemont_, _Serena_ and _Bonnie_ followed suit. _Ash_ was behind everyone, he was running, just not as fast as everyone else. Clearly he was not looking forward to saying goodbye to his other half.

The sky is now a color of orange, as the sun continues to set, and still they had not reached Reflection Cave. Ash was beginning to have doubts that they would make it in time, and the thought of it made his stomach upset. They stopped at a clearing, to get aware of their surroundings. All of them looked confused as they looked around, surrounded by forest yet no sign of the cave.

"Guys? Are we lost?" _Ash_ says, in a small voice that sounded frightened. Though part of him was hoping they were lost. That way Ash would have to stay with them. On the other hand, _Ash _really hates being lost. They all looked around themselves, none of them knowing where they are.

"I'm sorry guys. This happened all the time in my dimention. This is why my friends never let me lead the way." Ash confessed, feeling guilty and withdrawn. He had pretty much come to the conclusion that he's not getting home. Again the thought makes his stomach upset and this time brings a tear to his eye. But he fights it to stay strong for his mirror self. _Clemont_, _Serena_, and _Bonnie_ all sigh in unison. Ash moved to sit on a log from a tree that had fallen. His mirror counter-part followed, and sat next to him, with a comforting hand on his shoulder. _Serena_ and _Bonnie_ move to sit on a rock near by and just chat. Meanwhile, _Clemont_ had taken out his wizard stick and began drawing a circle with what looks like a diamond in the middle, on in the dirt, while the 4 others watched.

"Taaa Daaaa!" _Clemont_ exclaims proudly, holding his stick high in the sky. Everyone stood at the sound of his voice. "Here, you see infront us, a slightly different direction finder than the one I drew earlier. If this works as planned, it should help us find the Reflection Cave, just as the other one helped us find _Ash's _Pikachu." _Clemont_ explained how the Direction Finder would work, and everyone applauded him. He then proceeded to drop the stick in the middle of the circle.

"Okay, It looks like it points to the west. We were headed north." _Clemont_ says, picking up his wizard stick and placing it back in his book bag. "Everyone, follow me, and hurry, we don't have much time." He says looking to the purple-ish sky.

"RIGHT!" Everyone says in unison, and once again, _Ash_ sounded dejected as he followed the group.

Soon enough they reached the reflection cave and just as _Clemont_ was about to lead them in, someone stopped them. Everyone turning to look at the obsticle in question.

"Guys... maybe we should give it up." Ash suggests, and everyone looks to him as if he's crazy. However Ash takes notice that the paler version of himself looks less concerned than everyone else. but he knows why. Though he has only known this version of himself for a day, the pale boy had come to look up to Ash as a role model.

_Clemont_ takes a step forward. "What? We came this far because you really wanted to get home, right? to your friends! Ash, If we don't get in there right now, it'll be too late! You'll never get to go back!" _Clemont_ explains, a little irritated that they've come all this way to get the kid back to his own world and now he wants to just give up!

"Well, yeah, but...Look at the sky, it's probably already too late." Ash says, giving a dejected tone, looking to his mirrored self.

"No. It's not too late. Not just yet." _Clemont_ sighs taking Ash by the hand and leading him into the cave. Everyone else following behind. They search the cave for a moment, allowing Ash to collect his memories from earlier that day to find the mirror he came from. Finally it wasn't Ash that spoke up, but his saddened, pale counter part, who clutched his Pikachu tightly like a teddy bear.

"It was this one." _Ash _says confidently. He wasn't happy about sending his new friend home, but he convinced himself that if he loves something, he's gotta let it go. Everyone looked to _Ash _ in surprise. Everyone had noticed that since they realized that Ash must return to his own world, their own Ash seemed sadder than normal. "I stopped infront of this mirror, thinking about how much I wanted my Pikachu back, and that's when the mirror wavered and I saw Pikachu, so I stuck my hand through and grabbed him." _Ash _explained. "Sorry, again, for stealing your Pikachu." _Ash _again apologized for the second time today. "You wouldn't be in this mess if I hadn't done that." He said in his sad, soft voice, looking down at his Pikachu. Tears formed in hsi eyes.

Ash took a step forward and planted his hand on the pale version of himself, looking him in the eyes, and with complete honesty, he says, "Hey. Stop apologizing. I've got him back, and you've got yours back, and I'm glad I met you." They smiled at each other, and for the moment, the two mirrored boys almost forgot that the one had to get home. That is until the moment was broken by a rude _Serena._

"AWWWW, how sickengly sweet. Now if you two keep going on like this, Ash will never get back to his friends!" _Serena_ exclaims, earning the attention of every human and pokemon in the cave. Including the nearby Solosis and Carbink.

"She's right. Ash, you've gotta focus. Center your mind on the thought of seeing your friends again." _Clemont_ agreed. and once again, _Ash _looked dejected. Ash nodded, closing eyes and began wishing to himself. After a moment, the portal began to open. When Ash heard gasps, he opened his eyes, shocked to see Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie on the other side, with huge smiles. They looked so happy to see him. Ash looked back to the pale boy with a regretful look in his eyes. The pale _Ash _kneeled against the wall of the cave clutching his Pikachu close and Ash couldn't tell but the boy was probably crying. All he wanted to do was go back and hug the pale boy and tell him it was alright. But his friends are expecting him to go back through the mirror where he came from and continue his journey. So he goes. Reaching forward with one hand as Serena reaches with hers. Hope glistens in her eyes as well as something else. Adoration? Love? Ash couldn't tell. He reached his hand as far as he could without falling into the space in between. Just when their fingers touched, Ash looked back to see the mirrored version of himself, cuddling with his Pikachu against the wall of the cave looking up at him with tears streaking his cheeks. And something inside Ash broke. That's when the two realized that the worlds were moving apart.

"ASH!" Serena exclaimed, reaching as far as she could. The sound coming from his world sounded muffled, and his friends looked blurry. It looked as if he were looking at them from under water.

"Our worlds are drifting apart!" _Clemont_ said, standing back. His fear was coming to be. That it was too late. Soon the worlds had drifted too far apart and the portal to his home world was closed, and the portal to the world he's in now was beginning to waver.

"The portal is closing!" He heard a muffled voice say, and soon, Ash was being pulled back into this alternate world, and all he could do was look at his reflection in the mirror. Not saying a word. He closed his eyes for a moment, resting his head on the mirror, until he felt a hand on his back.

"I'm sorry, Ash. We tried the best we could to get you back." _Clemont _said in a sincere apology. _Ash _stood up from where he sat and finally released his grip on Pikachu, who for some reason didn't mind being held so tightly. He made his way over to his mirror counter part and hugged him tight. Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and ran up next to _the other boy's_ Pikachu.

"Thank you." _Ash _said, voice shaking. Tears flowed from his eyes. Everyone stood back, confused at what is happening, and why _Ash_ is thanking Ash.

"Woah, hey it's okay, buddy." Ash said, as he removed the paler boy from his shoulders to turn himself around, only to be met by confused and curious eyes.

"Ash, stayed here for me!" _Ash _said, sounding more excited than he'd been in a long time. and still everyone was confused. Ash was behind his pale mirror self, blushing.

"huh?" everyone said simultaniously.

"Wait. Ash...You stayed here on purpose?" _Clemont _asked and _Serena _kinda looked peeved. _Bonnie _just looked clueless, though she was happy Ash was still here.

"Well...I just... I wanted to go, but then I looked back and saw _Ash_ sitting there against the wall with his Pikachu, crying and I just couldn't leave him here like that." Ash smiled at the pale boy next to him, who blushed in return.

"Awwww, does _Ashy _ have a boyfriend?" _Serena _teased, and both Ashs' blushed.

"No, Stop it! We're basically the same person, how could you date yourself?" _Ash _argued in defense to _Serena's _teasing. Ash is impressed, along with the other three, that the so called _cry baby_ has defended himself.

"Whatever. let's just move along." _Serena _said, walking forward, stopping infront of _Ash_ to whisper something in his ear. "Remember this. I'm a girl. I know about romance, I can see it in people's eyes." She then walked ahead, with _Clemont _and _Bonnie _behind her. Both Pikachu jumped on their trainers' heads. Both boys walking side by side.

"What did she say?" Ash asked. He had noticed that since _Serena _said something into _Ash's _ear, he hasn't looked his mirror version in the eyes.

"Nothing... it's not important." _Ash _answered, quietly. He kept his eyes locked in front of him. Ash began to slow down, and he found that his mirror-self slowed down as well, but they stayed close enough so that they wouldn't lose their friends.

"Come on. it's something. You haven't looked at me since she said whatever it was to you. that was like 15 minutes ago." Ash said, looking over to the paler boy who didn't look back. He knew that if he did, he would break down.

"It's okay, Ash. It's really okay." _Ash _said, smiling, but not looking over. Ash didn't buy the other boy's words, but decided not to push. Instead they focused on the path ahead, catching up to their friends as they came to a clearing that lead them outside the cave.

"Yes! We're finally out!" _Serena exclaimed. _Everyone let out cries of happiness that they finally reached the other side.

"Yes, but according to my map, we're still about 3 miles from Shalour City. I don't think we're making it to a Pokemon center tonight." _Clemont _said, interrupting the cheers of joy.

"I guess we should keep walking then till we find a good camping spot." Ash suggested. Everyone but _Clemont _let out a tired whine, but kept walking anyway, following _Clemont. _A few minutes down the road and they found a nice spot to set up camp. Turns out it was really late at night. Around 10:00pm and no one had eaten dinner yet. Tummies were rumbling and everyone was rubbing their tired eyes. _Clemont _decided he'd whip up something for everyone to eat. First came the Pokemon though. The Pokemon are always first, no one argued that. It seemed to everyone like they were seeing double. Two Pikachu, two Froakie, two Fletchling, and two Hawlucha. The Pokemon looked at each other as if they were looking into a mirror. Technically, they are. But the Hawlucha were comfortable because they had battled alongside each other earlier in the day. It seemed like it, but when Ash's Hawlucha ran after the other to play, it jumped in defense and hid behind _Ash's _backpack. Everyone laughed at that.

It was sometime during dinner when _Serena_ pipped up about Ash staying. "So, _Ash_ you never told us, how did you know that Ash stayed here for you?" They weren't sure if She was teasing him or if she was serious, but he answered anyway.

"Well... Um...If it's okay with you, Ash...?" He asked, turning his attention to the tan boy sitting next to him on the log, who was focused on his food. Ash swallowed before answering.

"Yeah. it's cool." He said, then turning his attention back to his food. He was curious as to how the other boy knew as well.

_Clemont, Bonnie, _and_ Serena_ began looking at _Ash _expectantly, as he set his empty bowl down. No surprise to anyone that he was finished first.

"Well, it was when Serena, from Ash's world, reached her hand out to grab his. He was reaching too, but then he looked back at me, and then he dropped his hand. That's when the two worlds started to fade away from each other." _Ash _explained. Everyone nodded.

"Yeah, because Ash's heart wasn't into it anymore. He didn't want to go back as much as Serena wanted him back." _Clemont _added. The two Ashs' nodded in agreement. And Now there's a knot in Ash's stomach and his head falls to the ground as he thinks about the Serena from his world. He knew how she was into him, and he wasn't sure if he felt the same about her. But now that he thinks about her, he really feels bad that he left her. The sound of his name drew him out of his memories.

"Ash?"

He looked up, not sure which 'Ash' they were reffering to. He figured it was him since all eyes were on him. "huh?" He asked with half attention.

"What made you change your mind, Ash?" _Serena _asks. Ash set his empty bowl down before answering.

"I already told you... Seeing him like that. I couldn't take it. It's pathetic," Ash smiles at the lighter version of himself. "And besides, who else is gonna defend him from _Serena_ when she bullies him?" He glares at her, while messing up the other boy's hair. _Ash _smiled.

"Hey! I did good in the cave, when she said we were dating." _Ash _said, finally looking up, over at Ash then to _Serena. _The blush had returned on his face.

"Yeah? remember what I said, _Ash!" Serena _warned, looking him the eyes with a knowing look. Instantly, his gaze falls. and this brings the worry back in Ash's eyes. "And I don't bully him, I tease him, because he's adorable. And the crying gets annoying sometimes." _Serena_ adds.

"Uh-huh!" _Bonnie _agrees. _Ash _sticks his tounge out at the girls as he unconciously leans into the touch of his mirrored other half. Everyone sees it now. Everyone but Ash, but no one speaks up.

"Alright, I'm going to sleep." _Serena _announces to everyone as she heads to the tent that she and _Bonnie _share.

"Me too!" _Bonnie _says, following her role model.

"Night _Bonnie! _Night_ Serena!" Clemont _shouts.

"Night!" they hear both girls reply.

Clemont goes to bed soon after, when all the dishes are done, and everything is packed away. However, the boys stay up. Both tired, but neither tired enough to sleep. They both move to sit on the ground, sitting extremely close. The pale boy, resting his head on his twin's shoulder. Ash looked down at him and from this angle he looked really small and cute, and he couldn't help but smile as he looked up to the stars. The two sat in silence for a moment, just admiring the stars, minds wandering. Until...

"Hey, Ash?" The pale boy asked, in a quiet tone as to not startle his other half.

"Yeah?" Ash responded with a small smile, though his voice sounded pained. He looking over to his twin.

_Ash_ looked down, sadly. His eyes glistened with tears that threatened to leak out. "You miss your friends on the other side, Don't you?" _Ash _asked in a knowing yet saddened tone. Ash smiled warmly, looking back up at the stars, reminiscing back to his friends he'd left behind earlier in the day. He'd only been gone a day, yet it felt like years.

"Yeah. I do. I miss em A lot." His smile faded into a frown when he realized he will never see his friends again. Soon, tears started to form in his eyes and he let them fall. _Ash_ scooted a little closer to the more tanned version of himself, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, and he smiled slightly at the thought that for once, he wasn't the one crying, and for once, he felt useful. Even if it meant giving someone else a shoulder to cry on.

"Yeah..." The pale boy replied in a small, guilty voice, looking down. "It's my fault isn't it?" He asked without looking over and tears formed in his eyes for probably the fifth time that day.

"Huh?" Ash asked, looking over, still with wet eyes, seeing the paler boy yet again with tears in his eyes. He smiled.

"Well we wouldn't have been late if I hadn't needed help in rescuing my Pikachu." Ash said, looking over by the fire to where the two Pikachu rested, cuddled together peacefully. He feels so thankful that he has his Pikachu back.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault, remember, they had my Pikachu too! and If i hadn't gotten us lost on the way back to the cave we would've made it on time. but even if we had made it on time, that wouldn't have changed my decision. I still would've chosen to stay." Ash reassured the pale boy, with a smile, as he copied the boy's move, placing an arm around his shoulder, using the other hand to wipe the tears away.

Suddenly, _Ash _looked more enthusiastic. "Really? You left your friends, for me? knowing you'd never see them again?" he asked, finally looking up. Ash nodded, and he thought he'd never seen more beautiful brown eyes. Then he realized he's looking at himself. Ash mentally smacked himself. He might as well go kiss a mirror. Then Ash thought for a moment.

_"__wouldn'__t people look at me as arrogant? He is me! but is he? He doesn't act like me. Maybe they would look at us as twins. but then people would think we're incest. There really is no way around this is there?"_

A voice soon pulled him out his thoughts.

"Ash? you okay?" said the opposite version of himself.

"Yeah, I was just thinking." Ash replied, simply, as he looked over at the pale boy. He couldn't remember when he looked away.

"Oh. Hey, Ash, will you tell me about your friends?" _Ash _asked to the tan version of himself.

The question surprised Ash though. He wasn't sure if he was ready to talk about them without wanting to cry again. But to answer the curious boy's question he did.

"Uhh...okay." Ash said, taking a moment to collect himself. The last thing he needed was for his other half to see him cry again. He was supposed to be the strong one. "well..." Ash said, and the pale boy looked up at his mirror version waiting in anticipation as the other took a deep breath and looked to the stars.

"The Clemont I know is an inventor. He makes these really cool gadgets and stuff, but they usually break after the first use. But he makes up for it in his cooking." Ash explained, smiling as he remembered the old Clemont. The one that made him love science even more with every invention he came up with. His mirror counter part smiled when he noticed the similarities between the two.

"Our Clemont is a good cook too!" _Ash _chimed in. The other smiled.

"Yeah I noticed this evening. Dinner was amazing." Ash commented. When the other didn't say anything, he continued. "Bonnie is a sweetheart. With her Dedenne in her purse. She's always trying to find Clemont a girl to marry. it's kind of funny." The two laughed for a moment before continuing his explaination of his friends. "She's really mischievous and really curious about everything. She loves Pokemon and loves to hang out with Serena. Most of all she just loves her big brother." Again they smiled, but for different reasons. They both can see differences is their friends. Ash knows he likes these versions of his friends, but he can't help but miss his old ones.

"And what about Serena?" _Ash _asked, curious to know how much more different the other Serena is from the one he knows.

Serena. The only thing Ash can think about how different this Serena is from the one he knows, and just the thought of her makes his stomach upset. Not sick, just anxious. He worries about what she's doing right now. Has she moved on? Will she still travel with Clemont and Bonnie, even though he's not there? or will she sit in front of that mirror for days just crying and wishing he'd come back? He just has to tell himself that she'll be okay and move on.

"Ash?"

He looked up, coming back from his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You're doing it again. Zoning out. Is that something you do a lot?" _Ash _questioned his other half, who looked at him blankly.

"Oh uh, no, it's nothing. Where were we?" Ash asked, absently wiping at a stray tear that sat at the corner of his eye.

"Serena. Tell me about her," his mirror self reminded him. Once again taking a deep breath, he continued.

"Serena's great. She helps cook too, sometimes. She's a sweetheart, not rude and snarky like the one you have here. She wants to be a Pokemon Performer." He smiles remembering his childhood friend who he'd left behind, and another stray tear makes its way into his eyes. The pale version next to him catches it this time and his smile softens. "She...She cares for me. a lot." He finished, wiping at the tear before it could fall. His mirrored other half pulls him into a tighter hold and squeezes him. _Ash _isn't smiling anymore. Instead, he looks to the ground.

"Sounds like she had a crush on you."

"She does. I told her we should just stay friends. That was a while ago." Ash replied. "You sound like you speak from experience." Ash added as he noticed the other's downward saddened stare.

"I had a crush on our Serena. She turned me down. She started laughing at me, and then she just became mean." _Ash_ confessed, tears prickling at his eyes. Just as _Ash _ did earlier, the tan mirror version, hugged him tighter, wiping the tears from _Ash_'s eyes before they fell.

"I'm sorry, buddy. It's okay though, you don't need her. There's someone else out there for you. For us." Ash reassured with a smile. Though inside, Ash felt dejected, remembering the comment the pale boy made earlier in the cave.

_"How can you date yourself?" _Ash constantly ran the sentence through his head. Why did he feel so hurt at the tone of his mirror's voice? Why was there this glimmer of hope that the boy wanted him more than Serena? Why was there this incessant feeling of wanting to kiss him? Questions Ash didn't have answers to. However when he looked down he noticed that the pale boy had fallen asleep on his shoulder. The two could not get any closer. Ash slowly pressed a quick kiss to the boy's raven hair, and laid his head on the other boy's head, and closed his eyes. _Ash _didn't seem to mind. He only snuggled closer into the other's body.

xxx

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! chapter 2 is on its way! you won't be waiting long! PLZ review, it would help a lot.**


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